"Do you know about Tarot cards?" Riddler asked calmly, his eyes fixed on Ogilvy through the thick glass partition of the visiting room.
Ogilvy frowned, scratching his head before blurting out, "I've heard of them. Just another scam, right? Same kind of nonsense as astrology."
Riddler didn't even bother responding to the insult. He simply sighed, clearly losing interest in the conversation.
"If you had even the slightest understanding of Tarot cards," Riddler said flatly, "then solving Kaito Kid's so-called Notice Box would be laughably easy."
Ogilvy opened his mouth to speak again, but Riddler cut him off before he could say another word.
"The Emperor. The Wheel of Fortune. The Magician. The High Priestess," Riddler continued, his voice steady and precise. "They are all Tarot cards. Their sequence numbers are four, ten, one, and two."
He leaned back in his chair, fingers interlocked, as if savoring the elegance of the puzzle.
"The Emperor's number is four. The first day holding the scepter naturally represents April 1st."
Ogilvy's eyes widened slightly.
"The Wheel of Fortune is associated with Jupiter," Riddler went on. "Two cycles of rotation means two rotations of Jupiter. One rotation takes 9 hours, 55 minutes, and 30 seconds. Multiply that by two, and you get 19 hours and 51 minutes."
Riddler tapped the table lightly.
"Which means Kaito Kid's action time is 19:51 on April 1st."
Ogilvy swallowed.
"The High Priestess represents the Moon," Riddler continued. "The Silver-Winged Magician refers to Kaito Kid himself. The meaning is obvious—he will appear at 19:51, following the Moon's direction."
He paused, letting the answer settle.
"Northwest."
Riddler's eyes gleamed faintly.
"Now, the pinnacle. The Tarot card closest to that concept is The Tower, sequence number sixteen. And the tallest structure in Gotham City is Wayne Tower."
Ogilvy's breathing slowed as the pieces fell into place.
"When you combine the height of Wayne Tower with the height and linear distance of the Orpheus Jewelry Exhibition Hall," Riddler said, his voice turning almost reverent, "and stand on the rooftop of the exhibition hall at a 33-degree elevation angle, you can see the very tip of Wayne Tower."
He smiled faintly.
"And 33 just happens to equal 4 + 10 + 1 + 2 + 16."
"In conclusion," Riddler said, looking straight at Ogilvy, "Kaito Kid will descend upon Wayne Tower from the southeast direction at 19:51 on April 1st."
Silence filled the room.
"As expected of Mr. Nygma," Ogilvy said at last, his voice filled with admiration. "You saw through Kaito Kid's Notice Box at a glance! Don't worry—the boss will help get you out of here soon."
"No need," Riddler interrupted coldly.
He stood up, straightening his jacket.
"If I wish to leave Arkham, I can do so at any time—without anyone's help."
Then his gaze hardened.
"Go back and tell Cobblepot one thing."
Ogilvy hesitated.
"Tell him to never come looking for me again."
Seeing Riddler's unshakable attitude, Ogilvy could only nod. After exchanging a few polite words, he left the visiting room.
Before exiting, he discreetly slipped two thick bundles of cash into the hands of the guards at the door.
As Ogilvy walked out through the iron gates of Arkham Asylum, a smile crept across his face.
Riddler couldn't understand the Notice Box?
What a joke.
True, Ogilvy couldn't match Riddler's speed or brilliance—but given enough time, he could have solved it himself.
So why did he come to Riddler at all?
Because Kaito Kid was never the real target.
The real target was Riddler.
Ogilvy hadn't lied completely. Penguin was indeed tangled in other affairs and had handed full authority over Kaito Kid to Ogilvy. But Penguin never instructed him to consult Riddler.
That decision came from Ogilvy alone.
He understood Riddler better than most. A man crippled by obsessive-compulsive disorder. A fanatic who lived and breathed riddles.
All it took was a slight provocation.
And Kaito Kid, with his flamboyant riddles and cryptic Notice Boxes, was the perfect trigger.
If Riddler developed a personal hatred for Kaito Kid, then even Arkham's walls wouldn't stop him from interfering.
Ogilvy had already prepared the Stone of Misfortune to deal with Kaito Kid. But if Kaito Kid sensed danger and refused to touch it—
Then Riddler would serve as the backup plan.
At the same time, Ogilvy's carefully chosen words would subtly plant dissatisfaction in Riddler's mind toward Penguin.
One plan to eliminate Kaito Kid. Another to destabilize Penguin.
Everything was connected.
But none of these undercurrents reached Dean.
He lived his days as usual, completely untouched by the silent war unfolding beneath Gotham's surface.
He continued scouting the target location, observing routines, memorizing routes.
Life moved on.
Gotham High School's ten-day spring break ended in the blink of an eye, and classes resumed as if nothing had changed.
Until three days before the Hope Blue Diamond Exhibition.
The moment Dean stepped onto campus, the atmosphere felt different.
Discussions buzzed around him from every direction.
"Kaito Kid…" "Did you see the Notice Box?" "What do you think it means?"
Kaito Kid's name echoed endlessly through the halls.
Despite the fact that both sides—the heroes like Dick and Barbara, and the villains like Riddler and Ogilvy—had already deciphered the Notice Box, not a single detail had been leaked.
To the public, it remained an unsolved mystery.
Even the GCPD knew nothing.
For reasons unknown, Barbara chose not to inform Gordon this time.
"Hey! Dean!"
Dean turned toward the voice. Dick was waving from his usual seat in the corner.
"What's up?" Dean asked as he slid into his seat by the window.
"Are you free in three days?" Dick asked, lowering his voice mysteriously.
Dean's instincts flared. "Why? You want to learn magic again?"
"No," Dick said quickly. "Don't you know the Hope Blue Diamond exhibition is in three days?"
Dean's heart tightened.
Here it comes.
"I know," Dean replied calmly. "But I've never cared much for rich people's events."
"I don't care either," Dick admitted. "But it's different when Kaito Kid is involved."
Dean glanced at him. "So you've deciphered the Notice Box?"
Dick grinned. "I won't tell you—unless you promise to go to the exhibition with me."
"Tch," Dean scoffed. "As if I care. And why should I waste my time going with you?"
"Aren't you curious?" Dick pressed. "Kaito Kid's magic skills are famous. And your magic skills are incredible too."
He leaned closer, eyes bright.
"If a professional magician like you is there, you might expose Kaito Kid's trick on the spot."
Dean fell silent.
Then he slowly looked Dick up and down.
"You're a rich kid," Dean said suspiciously. "Instead of enjoying life, you're obsessed with exposing Kaito Kid."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Are you a detective… or a cop?"
Dick froze.
His playful expression vanished.
After a long pause, he took a deep breath.
"Dean," Dick said quietly, "I think it's time I told you the truth."
-------------------------------------------------
180+ chapters available in patreon🔥🔥🔥🔥
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31
----------------------------------------------------- .